Friday, January 16, 2009

Frost-bitten in Manhattan

Thursday was an eventful day. I had to attend a parents' meeting in the city with Marina about the upcoming Italy trip. I stopped in the Bronx along the way, because my mother was going to stay with Chase and Sierra and my father had offered to drive us into Manhattan. We planned to take the train home.

Wouldn't you know it? Thursday was frigid. We bundled up and drove to the Bronx in the afternoon. I like to take advantage of an opportunity to have good Bronx pizza whenever we are in the neighborhood, so my mom ordered a pie and I got ready to go pick it up.

While I was getting ready, I heard this noise. Planes have always flown low over my parents house, but this was different. It changed from a normal sound to a sound like a plane going down. Then I heard a distant, muffled noise. Boom! I looked at my mother and said, "That sounded like a plane crash!" We looked outside, but there was nothing to see, and neither of my parents thought it could be a plane. It was probably just a truck hitting a pothole.

After we ate we turned on the news to check traffic before leaving for the meeting. Sure enough, a plane had crashed! The pilot lost both engines after flying into a flock of birds and managed to land the plane in the Hudson River. Thankfully, there was no loss of life, except for the birds.

Traffic was tied up on all the roads, and we passed a couple of fender benders along the way, but since we were going to the East Side, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. (The Hudson River is on the West Side of Manhattan.) We made it to the meeting and then walked to the subway station. It was only a five or six block walk, but we were frozen by the end of the first block. I had intended to show Marina my old high school along the way. By the time we passed it, I was so cold I just pointed it out and told her to keep moving. If we had stopped, I was sure my muscles would freeze to my bones. After the train came into the Bronx, it was another frosty four block walk to my parents' house. I'm ready for spring now.

And I have to say, I don't like to think about plane trips. If I know someone in my family will be on a plane, I do my best to not think about it until it is absolutely necessary. This is how I cope with a situation I have no control over. I am grateful that Thursday's crash had a happy ending, but really, did it have to happen on the day I go to a talk about my daughter's trip?

5 comments:

Kerian said...

I offer *hugs* to you!

Paula Vince said...

When I flicked on the TV a few mornings ago I saw the live news cast of your plane crash with the passengers standing on the wings. Thank heavens everyone survived! And oh boy, that Hudson River looked icy cold!
I guess we got to keep these things in perspective. Plane crashes like that are so rare they instantly make international news.
Is Marina going to Italy? How exciting! Tell her I loved the knitted jumper.
Blessings,
Paula

Anonymous said...

It was probably more dangerous walking to the subway in the frigid temperatures or walking in the dark on Bronx streets than taking a plane. But many share your fear. You know my story and how I overcame my fear of flying. And yes, it was ironic that the crash occurred as you hear about an upcoming trip. But WOW! All aboard survived - what a great ending.
Love, Mom

Anonymous said...

After all that, how did your meeting go? Did you learn anything important/interesting about Marina's trip?
Love, Aunt Linda

Vicki said...

{{{HUGS}}}

I remember my fear of sending Caylee to Cypress with her girlfriend when she was only 14. It was hard to let her go knowing that two 14yo's & a 10yo, would be traveling alone from Miami, to NY, to Germany, laying over for a day, then traveling to Cypress where they would meet up with a man I never met. (The friend's father)

I gave her over to the Lord's care and let her go. It was the best summer of her life and I'm glad she got to have the experience. I don't know if I could have done it had a plane just flown so low over my head and crashed.

Hugs & prayers
Vicki

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